BY NATHAN WARTERS

(434) 385-5540

Less than a month ago, Virginia Tech defensive end Jason Worilds told reporters he had no desire to leave school early for the NFL.

It didn’t take long for him to have a change of heart.

The junior announced Thursday during a teleconference with reporters that he will forgo his senior season and enter this April’s NFL draft.

“When we had talked, it was kind of premature. … After consulting with my family, we thought it would be best for me to (go pro),” Worilds said. “After doing that and taking everything into serious consideration, I came up with a different direction.”

Players can declare for the draft and still return to their college teams, provided they don’t sign with an agent.

Worilds said he had not signed with an agent, but he was pretty certain that he would not be returning to the Hokies.

“I believe this is my final decision,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here and we wouldn’t be having this conversation if I wasn’t (certain).”

The 6-foot-2, 262-pound Worilds was a two-time All-ACC selection with the Hokies. He had 49 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks this season. He capped his college career with two tackles for loss in Tech’s 37-14 Chick-fil-A Bowl win over Tennessee last Thursday.

“We wish him a long NFL career,” Hokies coach Frank Beamer said in a written release. “He was great for Virginia Tech, and we wish him the best in the NFL.”

Worilds, a Carteret, N.J., native, said back in December that he didn’t send his paperwork into the NFL’s draft advisory committee to get a projection on his draft status.

He later changed his mind and received an evaluation. He did not disclose where he was projected.

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr., doesn’t have Worilds listed on his Big Board, and he is not among the top five underclassmen at the defensive end position.

“The draft is so tricky now. I’m expecting to be … I would hope to be a first-day guy, but with the draft being so tricky, you never know what’s going to be what,” Worilds said. “I just expect to work hard, and I know if I put my best foot forward, I can live with wherever I’m drafted.”

Worilds’ defection means the Hokies must replace three out of their four front line starters next season. Defensive end Nekos Brown and tackle Cordarrow Thompson have both exhausted their eligibility.

Filling Worilds’ and Brown’s shoes won’t be easy. Steven Friday and Chris Drager will be next in line at defensive end, but they could be challenged in the spring and fall by a slew of young ends.

The uncertainty at end also means Brookville’s Zack McCray could see playing time early. The Bees defensive end committed to the Hokies in the summer and is expected to sign his letter of intent in February.